Professional Tool Reviews for Pros

Pneumatic power in a 12V tool? You might have a hard time believing that, but it’s what Milwaukee promises with their soon-to-be-released Milwaukee M12 Fuel right angle die grinder.

This isn’t the first time the brand has made eye-popping claims and they rarely disappoint us. So when Milwaukee says that they can bring 20% more power without the inconvenience of an air hose and compressor, it gets our attention.

Prior to this release, the idea of a cordless die grinder that could compete with the power and profile of pneumatic grinders seemed a bit like a pipe dream. Freedom from cords and compressors has been possible for a while now, but cordless die grinders have generally had the kind of bulkiness and weight that kept them from being a real improvement over air hoses. Plus, battery power just really couldn’t keep up with air power in terms of performance.

However, Milwaukee says that the new die grinder ramps up the performance to the point that this cordless die grinder can crank out better, sustained performance against pneumatic die grinders.

The Milwaukee M12 Fuel right angle die grinder offers up to 0.3 HP, making it 20% more powerful than the most common 0.25 HP die grinders. Its 4-mode RPM control and variable speed trigger allow you full control of your speed. This Milwaukee die grinder can crank out anywhere between 0 and 24,500 RPM.

In the spirit of full disclosure, the last pneumatic right angle die grinder I put my hands on, the Ingersoll Rand 5102Max, clocked in at a more-powerful 0.4 HP. While Milwaukee is definitely getting more power than the 0.25 HP, it’s not eclipsing the entire range of what’s available in the pneumatic form.

Still, it’s some pretty incredible performance for a 12V tool.

Perhaps even more impressive than the performance is the package that Milwaukee has been able to cram all this power into. The M12 Fuel right angle die grinder is only 4.5″, and it weighs in at 1.7 lbs with the battery attached.

Granted, this is a bit heavier than your standard pneumatic die grinder, but not by much. The little bit of weight that’s tacked on here seems more than a fair trade to ditch your compressors and hoses. Because you’re not dragging hoses and air regulators around with you, accessing tighter spots should be much less of a hassle with this Milwaukee M12 Fuel die grinder.

To date, we haven’t heard any news on what we can expect to get out of the Milwaukee die grinder in terms of runtime. Obviously, pneumatic is winning this fight so long as your compressor can keep up.

But if we can complete a decent sized job on a charge, the two batteries that come in the kit ought to get us enough runtime between them for this not to be too much of an issue. Obviously, we’ll actually have to get our hands on this tool when it’s officially released to confirm that.

The M12 Milwaukee Die Grinder will hit the shelves sometime in October 2019. You’ll have the option to pick it up as a kit or a bare tool. Kitted with two batteries and a charger, it will run $259. By itself, it’s only $169. It comes with a 5-year warranty on the tool and a 2-year warranty on the batteries.

When he doesn't have his hands on tools himself, Chris is often the man behind the camera lens making the rest of the team look good. In his free time, you might find Chris with his nose jammed in a book, or tearing out his remaining hair while watching Liverpool FC. He enjoys his faith, family, friends, and the Oxford comma.

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I bought a refurbished one from CPO tools and was disappointed in the runtime. Was sanding and it lasted maybe 5-minutes max. Dunno if it was because it is a refurbished one.

If it can measure up to the advertised performance, and I think it can, this is a big win for cordless convenience. Sign me up! I will be purchasing the router first but this won’t be far behind.

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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros